Brussels, 14/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament will not be stating its view on the proposed reform of the Commission until it has been definitively adopted, on 1 March. However, further to meetings between Neil Kinnock, Commission Vice-President charged with the reform, and the different EP political groups, the latter are debating the question and several are taking or preparing to take a formal position on the project. Further, without having expressed a view on the project itself, which has been open to "consultations" since 18 January, the plenary adopted the same day (see EUROPE of 21 January, p. 11) the van Hulten report on the second report by the Committee of Independent Experts, which outlined the EP's expectations of the reform of the Commission. The EP Committee on Budgetary Control then heard Commissioner Kinnock in late January and welcomed his project on the whole, in spite of several criticisms, particularly on abolition of the Financial Comptroller's ex ante visa (authorisation prior to the launch of a project).
Last week, the Socialist group adopted a "Plan for the Reform of the European Public Sector" and set up a working group charged with following the reform proposals. The Socialist plan supports in large measure the Commission's proposals and calls for this modernisation and reform to concern Member States as well, as they "manage 85% of EU funds". More specifically, concerning the Commission, the PES Group: 1) calls for "service to citizens" to be the goal of the reform, particularly through improved public and EP access to Commission documents, and the setting into place of a Committee on Ethics, proposed by the European Commission; 2) supports the switch to a budget based on activities and political priorities, but requests that above all these be set by the European Parliament and not "by inflexible departmental planning"; 3) is a little more reserved as to the reform of human resource management: thus, although the group supports the reform of recruitment exams, it says that it is in particular disappointed by the lack of ambition for proposals on equal opportunities; 4) regarding financial control, it approves the abolition of centralised ex-ante controls, while cautiously indicating that, "if necessary", "the option of a decentralised authorisation system "could be chosen".
The EPP Group, on the other hand will not decide before the White Paper is definitive. It is sticking to its position expressed mid-January, according to which it considered that it had not to decide officallly on the White Paper, as, with the Hulten Report, it had just done so on the Report of the Committee of Independent Experts.
For its part, the Liberal Group "strongly supports" the Commission's proposals, and is currently discussing a position that could be published within 2 weeks. The Liberal Group should recall that the EP and Council back the reform, while maintaining that Parliament itself should look at certain aspects. In particular, the Liberal Group should place emphasis on certain points, like the need to retain a single statute for all officials, so that the reform does not lead to a statute for Commission officials different to officials in other institutions. The Libeal Group appreciates in the Kinnock proposal, "contrary to the Prodi programme for 2000-2005", the mention of a "very detained timetable".